Chaeles von bee linden



(No Model.) 7 C. VON DER LINDEN.

FIRE ESCAPE.

Patented Mar. 18, 1884.

WITNESSES:

' ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

CHARLES VON DER LINDEN, OF BHINEBEOK, NEW YORK.

Fl RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 295,465, dated March181, 1884:. I

Application filed October 24, 1883. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES VoN DER LINDEN, of Bhinebeck, in the countyof Dutchess and State of New York, have invented a new andImprovedFire-Escape, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to that class of fireescapes in which the persondescends by means of a rope, a brake being provided to which the personclings or attaches himself, and by which he regulates his speed ofdescent; and the invention consists, principally, of a holder containingtwo pulleys, and a brake -vplate adapted to act upon the pulleys, theholder being cast in two parts, and one part thereof provided with ascrew for operating the brakeplate.

y The invention also consists of the construction, arrangement, andcombination of parts, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my new and improved fire-escape. Fig.2 is a sectional elevation of the same, taken on the line 00 w of Fig.3; and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line yy of Fig. 2.

A represents the holder; B B, the grooved pulleys placed therein uponthe bolts 0 G. D

represents the brake-plate, also placed upon the bolts 0 0 within theholder, and E represents the screw for operating the brake-plate to andfrom the pulleys B B, and F is the escape-rope, whichpasses through theholder in contact with opposite edges of the pulleys B B, as shownclearly in Figs. 2 and 3.

The holder A is, by preference, made of two hollow castings, a a, heldtogether by the bolts 0 O, and the brake-plate D is, by preference,countersunk, as shown at d d, toreceive the sides of the pulleys B B, sothat the plate will occupy small space and yet be of sufiicientstrength, and the bolts 6 O are ar ranged on opposite sides of atransverse plane through the center of the holder, as shown in Fig. 2,for holding the pulleys B B out of line with the end openings of theholder for increas. ing the friction upon the descending rope F.

The casting a is formed with the lips b b, and the casting a with thecorresponding recesses, c 0, into which the lips I) I) enter when thetwo castings are put together, thus forming a key to prevent the partsof the.holder from moving out of place with respect to each other, andthe castings a a are each formed with the half-openings e e, whichcorrespond with each other and with the diverging lips f f around thesaid halffopenings, which lips also correspond with each other, so thatwhen the two castings are put together the said half-open- .ings formcompletecircular openings at opposite ends of the holder for the passagethrough the holder of the rope F, and the said diverging lips formjug-necks G G at opposite ends of the holder, to which necks the bodystrap or rope H is attached. This rope H may be in the form of a belt tobuckle around the body, or it may be formed with a stirrup, or have bothbelt and stirrup attached to it, or be constructed in any suitablenanner to enable 'a person to securely cling or'attach himself to theholder A for descending the escaperope F.

In use the rope F will be made fast at its upper end to the window-sillor to some fixed object in the room by means of the loop f. The lowerend of the rope F and holder A will then be thrown out of the window andthe screw E turned to lock the holder fast to the rope. The person todescend will now attach himself to .or cling to the rope H and holder Aand grasp the wheel E on the screw E and turn the screw outward, whichwill diminish the friction of thebrake-plate D up on the pulleys B B andpermit the holder to grad ually slide down the rope. By tnrningthe screwE more or less the person descending may control with perfect case hisspeed of descent, so that the device is perfectly safe and reliable. Incase there should be several persons to descend, the rope F and holder AHaving thus fully described my invention, 3. In a fire-escape, theholder A, composed 15 I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters ofthe hollow castings a a, held together by Patent the bolts 0 O, incombination with the inclosed 1. The case made in two parts, each formedpulleys B B and brake-plate D, placed upon 5 with half openings 6 anddiverging lips f at the said bolts, the casting a being provided its topand bottom, and provided with the sewith the screw E, for operating thebrake- 2o curing-bolts 0, extending through the case, plate,substantially as described. and having mounted thereon the pulleys andthe brake, and a brake-screw, E, substantially CHARLES VON DER LINDEN.'10 as set forth.

2. In a fire-escape, the brake-plate D, ooun- \Vitnesses: tersunk, asshown at d, to receive the pulleys F. O. PREOKEL,

B, substantially as and for the purposes set WM. SoHLEYER. forth.

